FOOD businesses in Stratford are helping keep Stratford fat free.
Severn Trent praised town food outlets which have done their bit to eliminate fatbergs by installing grease trap equipment to prevent around 34 tonnes of fat entering the sewer system.
The water company was shocked at the amount of fatbergs – congealed lumps of fats, oils and grease – it found clogging up the town’s sewer pipes while cleaning them last year. Fatbergs are caused by households and businesses pouring food waste down sinks and drains.
Severn Trent teamed-up with town restaurants, cafes, takeaways and hotels to tackle the problem and keep drains clear by properly disposing of fats, oils and grease.
The Royal Shakespeare Company, which welcomes over a million visitors annually, is home to the Rooftop Restaurant, as well as Susie’s and Riverside Café Bars. The company was keen to do its bit.
RSC energy and environment manager Jenny Pulman said: “As a theatre and food service establishment, we’re always striving to be environmentally friendly and implement best practice.
“We worked together with Severn Trent to find ways of helping prevent grease entering the sewers from our operations. We’ve installed the latest technology to make sure we’re doing our bit to keep our beautiful town flood and pollution free.”
Grant Mitchell, Severn Trent’s fats, oils and grease spokesman, said major progress had been made in tackling fatbergs.
He added: “There’s been a 35 per cent reduction in the number of customers affected by external sewer flooding, largely due to our continued focus on prevention – just like this team effort in Stratford.
“We work hard to educate businesses about what they shouldn’t be pouring down sinks and drains, and advising them on what grease containment and treatment is needed. We know that everyone is fascinated with fatbergs at the moment, but we want to save the heartache that goes with them by stopping them for forming in the first place.”
